Most contemporary products embody both utilitarian and aesthetic aspects.  In today's highly competitive and style-conscious world, the appearance of a product can have great importance in determining whether the product will be accepted in the global marketplace.  In the United States, a "design" patent is one way to protect the design embodied in or applied to the product.  Thus, a design patent is directed toward an invention’s or product’s ornamental aspects, such as visual characteristics, surface ornamentation and shape.

As with a utility patent, the granting of a design patent requires that the patent application disclose and claim a design that is novel (new) and non-obvious in view of the prior art, among other requirements, including time requirements for filing.  Klarquist Sparkman has obtained numerous design patents for our clients.

Attorney contact for our Design Patent group: Michael Girard or Ramon Klitzke.